I am guessing you hardly give thermal paper a thought.  It is something you need to have in order to print customer and credit card receipts.  Most people only think about it when they run out (especially if it is a busy Friday night!)

Well apparently, our support team started thinking about thermal paper   Perhaps overthinking...

(This video is best viewed with the sound on.)

We have heard from suppliers that an increase in paper prices is forthcoming and wanted to give you a heads-up.

"During the past few weeks, all major Mills that supply thermal and other paper grades to the North American market have announced price increases ranging from 8% to 15% depending on the grade and weight of the paper."

Proactively, we have brought in extra stock before the price increase goes into effect. 

So if you want to stock up on a few boxes to save money, please contact us to place an order.

For your point of sale supply needs, we offer delivery, curbside pickup and old-fashioned USPS for shipment methods! And you can order them online!

Life is hard enough now as it is. So we decided to make it easier than ever for you to order paper rolls and ribbons for your business with our new online store.

Update to the post earlier this month (see below).

Good news!  We will be receiving 11 pallets of paper on July 3rd!  Next time you come by our office, you will probably see stacks of paper lining our hallways!  

Thank you for your understanding as we continue to work through this issue paper shortage issue. 

(Unfortunately, vendors are raising their prices in the interim.  We will monitor this closely, and hopefully after the shortages are resolved, prices will go back down to their normal levels.)

Earlier this year, we shared information about the global thermal paper shortage. Up to this point, we hadn't seen many changes in the industry that affected pricing or availability of paper rolls. However, that has now changed. 

Earlier this year, we shared information about the global thermal paper shortage. Up to this point, we haven't seen many changes in the industry that affected pricing or availability of paper rolls. However, that has now changed. Paper vendors are warning of impending price increases and shortages. We have seen some prices quoted as much as $120 for a case of thermal paper and 2-3 weeks delay in receiving paper orders.  Being Alaskans, we have the added difficulty of freight charges and long shipping times on heavy items, such as paper.

We know how critical it is for you to have a reliable supply of credit card paper and receipt paper at a reasonable price, and we are doing our best to work through this (hopefully) short term shortage.

The reality is that there will be price increases, and paper will need to be allocated and rationed at times.  To help with the shortage, here are a few ideas to consider:

Update from one of our major paper suppliers:

January 5, 2018 – Thermal paper supply continues to be allocated by the mills due to the on-going leuco dye shortage.  Mills continue to search for alternative sources of supply to meet customer demand.  These sources often come at a price premium driving up prices for thermal paper.  A thermal paper surcharge was just passed to the market and will be in effect at least through the first quarter of 2018.  

As of today, neither Chinese leuco dye plant has restarted production.  The exact date for the restart of the Chinese leuco dye plants is still unknown.  When they resume manufacturing, the supply chain is expected to take months to fill.  As such, we currently project supply will remain allocated through the first half of 2018.

Our strategy with respect to thermal paper supply continues to keep Iconex in the best possible position for paper availability. 

So the good news first - the pricing of bond paper (non-thermal paper often used in kitchen printers) has gone down, and we have lowered our prices accordingly.   We like lowering our costs, and passing the savings on to our customers!